hikespeak

Amboy Crater is nestled halfway between Barstow and Needles, just off historic Route 66. It is located near, but not within, Mojave National Preserve. A visit to Amboy Crater will definitely take you back in time. Ten thousand years ago, this cinder cone volcano erupted, transforming the surrounding landscape. A 3-mile round trip trail leads up and into the crater, connecting to a path around the rim that provides startling views. ...Read more.

See the best that Santa Anita Canyon has to offer. Visit Hoegees Camp, Mount Zion, and Sturtevant Falls on one hike leaving Chantry Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains. In John W. Robinson's excellent guide book, Trails of the Angeles, Santa Anita Canyon Loop is described as: One of the best [loop hikes] in the San Gabriels. It's hard to argue with that distinction. ...Read more.

If you enjoy the 4.25-mile round trip hike to Hoegees Camp, press on to Mount Zion. This trail leaves the banks of Winter Creek for higher ground and panoramic views of Santa Anita Canyon. Less than a quarter mile above Hoegees Camp on Lower Winter Creek Trail, is a junction with Lower Zion Trail. Upper Winter Creek Trail continues straight ahead, returning to Chantry Flats, but if you turn right, the summit of Mount Zion is just 1 3/4 away. ...Read more.

Fish Canyon Falls is beautiful three-tiered waterfall that drops over eighty feet in a canyon in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains near Azusa. Early spring is the perfect time to visit the dynamic waterfall, when the water flows well and the canyon is green. A rock quarry occupies the bottom of Fish Canyon and for many years Fish Canyon Falls Trail could only be reached by shuttle on special access days. ...Read more.

The forty-foot waterfall in Eaton Canyon fills an amphitheater at the top of Eaton Canyon Trail, tumbling into a wide pool that you can rest alongside or wade in. The waist-deep water is so refreshing, you are likely to see hikers in bathing suits on a warm day. The hike to Eaton Canyon Falls can be summed up this way: 1.1 miles of wide flat, relatively uneventful dirt trail, followed by 0. ...Read more.

The Verdugo Mountains are a small range situated north of Burbank and Glendale. While the trails in this range can't get at as remote as those in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains, they can be quite scenic and convenient to reach. Hikers may enjoy a trek on the north side of the Verdugo Mountains from La Tuna Canyon to the highest point in the range, Verdugo Peak. ...Read more.

Simply named The Grotto, this narrow bolder-filled canyon with small talus caves covering a creek in the mountains makes a fun destination for a short hike. From the Circle X Ranch Visitor Center in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area on the west side of Malibu, it is 3-mile round trip to the Grotto with 475 feet of elevation loss. The trail beneath Circle X Ranch and Exchange Peak From the main parking area for Circle X Ranch, walk down the access road to a small group campsite and pick up the single track trail to the Grotto, which descends into a verdant canyon. ...Read more.